Last week, after nearly 14 months of war, bombardments and suffering, Israel and Lebanon signed a ceasefire agreement. While we can only hope and pray that it holds and that the northern border becomes quiet and peaceful, the implications are already felt: tens of thousands of people who had been evacuated are cautiously starting to think about returning home, airline companies are planning to reinstate flights to Israel, and – for the first time since October 7th – there is a feeling that the likelihood of an all-out regional war has decreased.
But the residents of the north – such as 58-year-old Robbie Gringras of Kibbutz Tuval – aren’t celebrating just yet. They’ve gone through too much to be able to simply bounce back to their pre-war lives.
The end song is Pizmon LeYakington (“Hymn to the Hyacinth”) by Yehudit Ravitz. (Licensed by Israel Story through Acum.)
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